The Internet has become a primary communication channel for the world, as it continues to grow in traffic volumes and reach. The types of applications supported over the Internet are also changing, from basic applications such as web browsing to applications with real-time constraints such as Internet Protocol (IP) telephony. As traffic volumes grow, network providers must not only maintain sufficient capacity for the existing traffic, but also must efficiently predict future capacity needs and plan for the growth of traffic volumes.
The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicates similar or identical items.